Germs: 101

How to protect your family from schoolroom bugs

Make ’em squeaky clean

Careful hand-washing keeps germs at bay for (l-r) Will of Zionsville, Joy of Center Valley and Kacey of Allentown.

Fight Off That Infection!

If your child eats well, exercises, gets enough rest and stays current on immunizations, she’ll be in better shape to resist infections. The Centers for Disease Control now recommends influenza (flu) vaccines for all children age 6 months to 5 years, not just those in high-risk categories. Talk to your doctor about vaccines for your family.

Parents and teachers, listen up! Children are the greatest transmitters of contagious illnesses like colds, flu and diarrhea, but a few simple steps can help you and your family stay healthy this winter.

“Children are contagious for about 10 days, twice as long as adults,” says infectious disease specialist Luther Rhodes, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “It’s important to teach them cough etiquette and respiratory hygiene—and then to continually remind them.” Here’s what your family needs to know.

To prevent germs from spreading, avoid close contact with anyone who’s sick (3 feet is a safe distance). Don’t share items like tissue boxes, pencils and cell phones. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and throw used tissues away. Since viruses can live up to six hours, it’s a good idea to wipe door handles, toys, telephones, keyboards and other shared surfaces with baby wipes or household wipes.

Wash your hands frequently. “Hand-washing is your primary defense against germs,” Rhodes says. “Classrooms, offices and homes should be well-stocked with alcohol-based hand sanitizers and tissue boxes. When using soap and water, choose a liquid soap and wash long enough to sing the entire ABC song. Use paper towels, not cloth (which can harbor germs), then use the paper towel to turn off the faucet.”

It’s also important to stay home when you’re sick, says Rhodes’ colleague, pediatrician Kelly Costello, M.D. Children and adults with a fever should stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medication. If you have diarrhea or vomiting, stay home until you’re back to normal.

“Getting sick at a young age isn’t all bad,” Costello says. “Preschoolers exposed to other children’s germs do build immunity that can protect them later, when they’re in school. They usually get sick less often after the first year. But if your child has complications like asthma or frequent ear infections, or is sick often, you might consider in-home child care rather than a group setting.”

Be careful, too, not to run the risk of sharing your illness with people who’ve recently had surgery or those with medical conditions. “Put off that visit to Grandma for a few days,” Rhodes says. “A hug or kiss could put her in the hospital. It’s not worth the risk.”

Want to Know More? Lehigh Valley Hospital offers the Glitterbug program to schools and community groups to demonstrate effective hand-washing. For more on Glitterbug, click here. For more on the flu or childhood vaccines, please see the links in the column on the rigth side of this page. For a germ-control poster, call 610-402-CARE.

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